WhenToBird

Mimus polyglottos · Mimidae

When Do Northern Mockingbirds Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Northern Mockingbird
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Mockingbirds are in Kansas all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in the second week of June (14% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 22-30late April
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of June. Here all year; numbers build from late April and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 14% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 4.8% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.3% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.2% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.9% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.9% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.6% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.3% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.7% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.3% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.2% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.3% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.2% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.0% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.1% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.7% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 15% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.4% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.9% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.3% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.5% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.0% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.4% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.2% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.2% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.8% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.2% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.3% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.1% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.2% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.9% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.9% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.5% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.4% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.7% of 8186 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Kansas that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hamilton CountyBest late June · 15 checklists that week, 655 in all75%
  2. Seward CountyBest the second week of June · 19 checklists that week, 566 in all72%
  3. Grant CountyBest late May · 12 checklists that week, 344 in all63%
  4. Morton CountyBest late June · 35 checklists that week, 4,009 in all59%
  5. Montgomery CountyBest late June · 17 checklists that week, 663 in all51%
  6. Anderson CountyBest early July · 16 checklists that week, 701 in all50%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheney State ParkReno County, best mid June · 26 checklists that week, 1,708 in all82%
  2. Heritage ParkJohnson County, best the second week of June · 46 checklists that week, 1,349 in all79%
  3. Clinton LakeDouglas County, best the second week of July · 24 checklists that week, 1,461 in all79%
  4. Arkalon ParkSeward County, best the second week of May · 30 checklists that week, 178 in all76%
  5. Cimarron National Grassland (east)Morton County, best the second week of May · 27 checklists that week, 321 in all71%
  6. Cimarron River Picnic GroundMorton County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 239 in all69%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Northern Mockingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 13% of 12550 checklists7 am: 9.4% of 34128 checklists8 am: 8.8% of 45960 checklists9 am: 7.5% of 37806 checklists10 am: 6.5% of 32102 checklists11 am: 6.2% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 5.1% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 5.1% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 5.2% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 5.1% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 5.1% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 5.1% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 6.3% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 8.0% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January4.8%4.3%4.2%3.9%
February3.9%3.6%3.1%4.3%
March3.7%4.3%4.2%5.3%
April6.2%7.0%8.1%8.7%
May11%11%12%13%
June15%14%13%12%
July13%11%11%11%
August8.4%7.9%5.3%4.5%
September4.0%3.4%3.2%4.2%
October4.8%5.2%5.3%5.1%
November4.2%3.9%3.4%3.9%
December4.5%4.2%4.4%3.7%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives late April, in the same week than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks mid June
  • Missouri: arrives mid March, 5 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks early July

Common questions

When do Northern Mockingbirds arrive in Kansas?
Northern Mockingbirds are in Kansas all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in the second week of June (14% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.
When do Northern Mockingbirds leave Kansas?
Northern Mockingbirds never fully leave Kansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Northern Mockingbird in Kansas?
The Northern Mockingbird is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 14% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Northern Mockingbirds seen most often?
By county, Hamilton County, Seward County, and Grant County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Mockingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).